Saturday, March 17, 2007

I’m impressed. I’m also snowbound, and my flight’s been cancelled.It took me over two hours this afternoon to make the return leg of a trip I’d made in 20 minutes this morning.

I was able to order a pizza earlier tonight; neither rain, nor sleet, nor blizzard will daunt the intrepid Domino’s man. I went out to the lobby area of my motel a little while later, and saw a couple of people had persuaded the desk manager to break out some of their continental breakfast supplies. I gave them the rest of the pie, so I got to feel like a good guy after feeling like a bad guy (for eating pizza). If this kept up for three weeks, I wonder if Donner-like strategies would start occuring to people.

Impressive accumulations – I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get out of here. I’m reluctant to give up my little motel room, but I may end up staying in the airport, if the flight scheduled for tomorrow afternoon ends up getting cancelled after I surrender my card key and rental car.

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comments:

Yeah, the weather is lousy where I am, too. Here in Auburn, Alabama, it only got up into the mid-sixties yesterday, and with the wind, it felt like the lower sixties! Today it'll be a little better--maybe 70 or so, but the bright, beautiful sunlight makes it hard to see. Yeah, I'm right there with you, TK. Weather is tough.

I waited up last night, anticipating my 7 am(ish) flight would be cancelled. When the cancellation hit the board, I immediately called my airline and was able to get one of the last seats out of the city for today. Just before we got to the confirmation, however, the system went down for maintenance. The agent said she'd reserve a seat in my name, however, but that I'd have to call and confirm in the am.

I was skeptical, but she was true to her word. I showed up at the airport about an hour ago, left my rental car in the burgeoning line of other cars in front of the (closed) Alamo booth, and breezed through security with my pre-printed boarding pass.

The lines for ticketing go all the way around the airport. I have a feeling that if I'd waited until today to deal with this, I'd be leaving some time Tuesday or Wednesday.

This is good news - I'm flying to see a friend for a couple of days before returning home. The bad news - started getting some dental pain yesterday morning, and this morning my upper lip is noticably swollen (I look slightly chipmunkish). This has not been a great trip.

I was bumped off my flight in Chicago on the way out - bad weather, needed extra jet fuel, and I was one of the last people booked on. Got here about the same time I was supposed to be at my appointment, about three hours away. Then I had the driving follies yesterday.

The good news - I'm gettin' outta' here [knocking on wood this very moment], I never got stuck or hit anything (or was hit by anything) yesterday, I was able to get my car out this morning (tricky, actually), and I have every reason to hope things will be going smoother from here on out.

Sounds a little like famous last words, though. I'll come back and bitch if anything else adds to the adventure.

The silver lining: I drove to the Lake Placid / Saranac Lake region the day before yesterday, during the day, and it was spectacular. Driving next to the Ausable river a fair part of the way - at one point, I was driving next to a stone escarpment completely encased in ice.

So, still some small satisfactions.

It is beautiful here, but I miss my Utah blizzards (and the 4-wheel-drive vehicle I navigate them in).

Well, for whatever it's worth, I made it out ok. My flights were all delayed, so making connections was no problem. I have an abscessed tooth, which makes me terrible company (I'm sure) and has left me looking first like a concerned chipmunk, and later a little like a unihemispheric, Godfather-reprising Brando. But I've managed to score some broad-spectrum antibiotics, and some (whimpy) painkillers, and I'll be giving my cousin-the-dentist a call first thing in the morning.

I had some miserable moments on the plane, however, and more than a few thoughts about things like brain abscesses and encephalitis (things were progressing sort of alarmingly fast). Sometimes knowing stuff can be more distressing than reassuring.

I floss every night, I brush twice a day, I've knocked sugared sodas almost completely out of my diet - hell, I'm even sweetening my coffee with Splenda. So I'm a little miffed, and moderately miserable, but otherwise, life is good.

Hell, I could still be stuck in Albany. Life is very good. It's just not perfect - but is it ever?